Electrical connectors have a wide range of applications and typically include a dielectric housing mounting a plurality of conductive terminals for establishing an electrical connecting interface between a pair of electrical components, circuits or devices. Electrical connectors are used quite extensively in automotive or other vehicular applications.
For instance, electrical connectors are used for electrically connecting various control or indicating devices mounted on a dashboard of an automobile or other vehicle, with a complementary electrical device such as a printed circuit board. Specifically, an analog speed indicating device or other speedometer assembly is mounted on or within the dashboard. The speedometer assembly is housed in a cylindrical can that has a plurality (four) cylindrical terminal pins projecting therefrom. A receptacle-type electrical connector is used for mating with the pins of the speedometer assembly and interconnecting the assembly to a printed circuit board which is part of the vehicular dashboard assembly. The connector includes four blade-like terminals which have mating ends for connection to the terminal pins of the speedometer assembly and terminating ends for connection to the printed circuit board. The terminals are stamped and formed of sheet metal material. The mating end of each terminal is formed by an aperture with flexible tabs adapted to receive and establish a mechanical and electrical connection with a pin of the speedometer assembly. The terminating end of each terminal is formed by a solder tail for insertion into a hole in the printed circuit board. The terminals are insert-molded on the dielectric housing of the connector. The connector typically has a pair of bubble-type boardlock pegs for securing within mounting holes in the printed circuit board.
Electrical connectors of the character described above have several disadvantages. First, the number and structure of the bubble-type boardlock pegs do not provide for a steady mounting of the connector to the printed circuit board, and the pegs are not conducive for guiding the tail portions of the terminals into their holes in the printed circuit board. Second, there is no overstress protection for the mating portion of the terminal. Consequently, a set often develops in the stamped and formed metal material of the terminal, and the electrical connection deteriorates with time especially if the connector is subjected to numerous mating and unmating cycles. Third, overmolding the terminals on the connector housing requires additional processing steps which significantly increases the manufacturing cost of the connector.
The present invention is directed to solving the above problems and eliminating the disadvantages presently inherent in the typical receptacle connectors that interface speedometer assemblies with other electrical devices such as printed circuit boards.